


Howling Wolf

by Swan_Secrets



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Burlesque Club, F/F, First Meetings, Ruby Lucas Femslash Week, Strip Tease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 22:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11323293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swan_Secrets/pseuds/Swan_Secrets
Summary: Burlesque Club AU: While Ruby tends bar a new performer takes to the stage





	Howling Wolf

**Author's Note:**

> The was written for the Ruby Lucas Femslash Week 2017 Prompts “Pairing: Mulan Rouge” and “First Encounters”

Ruby hadn’t had the chance to meet the new girl yet, she hadn’t even seen a picture. She imagined though that she’d be nervous. Having her debut on a Friday night was certainly a trial by fire. The crowd were usually friendly enough but they knew what they liked and they didn’t take well to performers that didn’t meet the standards they were accustomed to.

Ruby Lucas generally enjoyed her work as a bartender at the Howling Wolf club. The club was styled like a 1920’s jazz club but with a more modern edge to its décor. There were various areas for lounging and eating. The main area of the club was a large stage with circular tables of various sizes arranged in the space front of it.

Almost every table was full. The MC, David Nolan, was warming up the crowd with a few jokes and a rundown of the upcoming entertainment. A few of the regular acts got cheers when they were mentioned, the loudest was, as usual, for the headline act Regina Mills.

The bar got busier, people wanted to get their drinks before the show started. Most patrons took advantage of the table service so while Ruby did deal with some customers most of her interactions were with smartly dressed waiters and waitresses.

David introduced the first act: Belle. The crowd applauded, getting louder as Belle came onto the stage. She was wearing a magnificent yellow ballgown. The band played soft music, soaring strings and tinkling piano. Music that seemed to speak about tales as old as time.

Ruby was busy making drinks and missed most of Belle’s performance, but she had seen it many times before. Belle was the stage name of Lacey French. Her act was a very classy, very elegant strip tease. She took off her white gloves first. Then her dress to reveal beautiful blue lingerie. Ruby looked over at the stage while Belle was dancing in her underwear.

Ruby and Lacey had, for a while, had a friends-with-benefits arrangement. A few weeks ago however Lacey had started dating the owner of the club, Adam Gold. Watching Lacey dance made her hope that the relationship wouldn’t last too long. She was missing their nights of fun. Though if it lasted much longer Ruby was going to need to find a new playmate. There was only so long she could go with pleasure coming only by her own hand.

One of the waiters interrupted her reminiscing with a drinks order. A few more orders came in quick succession and by the time Ruby had a moment to look at the stage again Belle was bowing to the appreciative audience. The Howling Wolf wasn’t a full on nude strip club. The emphasis was very much on the tease part of strip tease. Belle took her leave from the stage still wearing her panties and pasties that mostly covered her breasts.

At one of the tables at the front Ruby saw Mr Gold. With Belle’s performance done he turned to his companions, no doubt the three gentlemen at his table were business associates of some kind. Mr Gold was a man with a great many business interests and, if the rumours were true, not all of them were 100% legal. Ruby definitely got the vibe the men he was with tonight were shady.

The second act, introduced again by David, was a tap dancing trio. They were good, but Ruby wasn’t a fan, tap wasn’t really her thing.

Once they’d clickity-clacked their hearts out they took their applause and left the stage.

David returned to center stage and spoke into his microphone while a couple of stage hands set up for the next act in the background. “Weren’t they swell?” he let the clapping die down. “Now next we have quite the treat for you. A brand new act, making her grand debut in the Howling Wolf club on this very stage. She’s entertained crowds from London to Rome to New York City and tonight she is here to entertain you. Please give a proper Howling Wolf welcome to…Ping!”

The crowd gave an enthusiastic cheer, a few gave wolf howls that were common for some of the regulars to make.

The music started: A slightly off-key piano being played as if to accompany an old silent movie. The audience quietened down a bit. The stage was set with a simple wooden bench and an art deco style lamppost.

Ruby finished mixing a cocktail and set it on the bar, Kasey, one of the waitresses, set the drink on a tray and headed over to the table that had ordered it. Ruby looked to the stage. Just as she was wondering if the new girl had gotten stage fright a figure strode out.

It was a man. He was Asian and wearing a kind of Charlie Chaplin-esque suit. The dark trousers were loose. The black shoes were polished to a shine but oversized, to the point where they were not far off being clownish. His dark jacket was fitted and buttoned over a slim frame. He wore a bowler hat, had thick eyebrows and a moustache. He had a black umbrella hooked over one elbow and a confident swagger to his steps.

Ruby frowned. It was meant to be the new girl, David had announced her. Maybe there’d been a mix up backstage, but there wasn’t a new guy and…

The penny dropped. The guy was the new girl. She watched her. Her look and her movements were decidedly masculine.

‘Ping’ jaunted to the bench, every step seemed casual but was timed with the music. Ping sat on the bench and took out a newspaper that had been tucked under it.  
Ruby watched as Ping went through a really fun slapstick routine. The crowd quickly warmed to the newcomer, laughing and cheering. ‘Ping’ was utterly convincing as a man, from look to body language.

Ruby’s enjoyment was interrupted by a big drinks order.  
By the time she could focus on the stage again the music had shifted. It was still jaunty, but with a little more bite to it. Ping had taken off her suit jacket and laid it neatly on the bench. She was wearing a pristine white shirt and a lilac tie.

She danced, twirling the umbrella, and soon the hat came off and she shook free dark shoulder length dark hair. Ruby realised that as she removed her masculine dress she was also changing the way she moved, becoming more graceful.

The performance went on until she was left wearing only white pasties over her nipples and a pair of black boxer shorts. Aside from a bulge in the front of her boxers she was now all female in appearance and mannerisms. She’d even peeled off the moustache and thick eyebrows, and in Ruby’s opinion she was pretty cute.

She left the stage to a standing ovation, a great reaction for a first timer.

Ruby joined the applause. She was looking forward to meeting the new girl properly.

 

Ruby had a break about forty-five minutes after Ping’s performance. She headed though the staff corridor backstage and along to the dressing rooms.

Only Regina had her own private dressing room. Ruby knew she was scheduled to perform one of her more famous routines, The Evil Queen, so was no doubt in the process of squeezing into a dress that made a stupendous display of her cleavage.

The main dressing room was an open plan space. One wall was lined with mirrors and dressing tables. There were partitioned areas for a bit of privacy when changing but everyone was pretty comfortable with nudity. This was a burlesque show after all. Through a door at the back there was shower room with individual cubicles.

When Ruby walked into the dressing room it took her a few moments to spot the new girl.

She was talking with one of the backing dancers that would be going on stage with Regina later. She was wearing blue jeans and a tight white t-shirt that, contrasting with her stage outfit, showed her womanly curves.

Ruby hesitated.

The new girl wasn’t just cute. She was smokin’ hot.

Ruby went over and introduced herself.

“I’m Mulan,” the new girl smiled and offered her hand.  
Ruby shook it, their eyes met and Ruby couldn’t help thinking about the fact she needed a new friend-with-benefits.

“I loved your show,” Ruby said, their eyes still locked.

“Thanks,” Mulan didn’t look away and she still had a smile on her lips. She looked Ruby down and up. “Are you performing tonight?”

“Oh, no, I work at the bar.”

Mulan looked her over again. “That’s a shame.”

Their eyes locked again.

Ruby was glad the attraction seemed to be mutual.


End file.
